While there are good recipes for cakes that use oil instead of butter or are leavened with baking soda and vinegar instead of eggs, there's more help if you're low on pandemic pantry staples. Please note, these often will not act EXACTLY like what they are trying to replace (if you use applesauce instead of egg, you cannot make a meringue), so judge your initial recipe well and make smart decisions!

What to Do If You Are Out Of…

Baking powder: Baking powder is a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar. To replace one teaspoon of baking powder in a recipe, combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.

Baking soda: One teaspoon of baking soda can be replaced with 4 teaspoons baking powder.

Butter: If the butter is supposed to be creamed or solid, use an equal amount of margarine, shortening, or solid coconut oil. For melted, you can use a melted version of any of those, or any neutral flavored oil. You can also swap in unsweetened applesauce or pureed canned beans.

Buttermilk: For one cup of buttermilk you can use a cup of yogurt, or a tablespoon of lemon juice with enough milk added to make a cup.

Cream: For a cup of heavy cream in recipes (not for whipping) you can use 7/8 of a cup of half and half with 1/8 cup melted butter mixed in; half a cup of whole milk plus half a cup of plain Greek full fat yogurt; 1 cup of evaporated milk; or 3/4 cup whole milk with 1/3 cup melted butter mixed in.

Eggs: You can swap any of the following in for one egg when baking: 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup mashed banana, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce.

Egg whites: For every egg white, use two tablespoons of aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It will whip to a meringue-like consistency, and you can use it to make meringues or other fluffy baked goods that need whipped egg whites.